


tatemae | 建前

by lamentum



Category: Bleach
Genre: Comfort, Multi, Not Beta Read, Reader-Insert, Sexual Content, again kind of, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamentum/pseuds/lamentum
Summary: He wasn't always so cold, even if his touch made you shiver.
Relationships: Ulquiorra Cifer/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 56





	tatemae | 建前

**Author's Note:**

> tatemae  
> -  
> the behaviors and opinions one must display to satisfy society's demands

“Do you think this is all we’ll ever be?” You piped up softly.

The peace enveloping you never lost its eerie edge with how the walls of Las Noches towered ominously in shades of pristine white; you wondered if it was a purposeful design choice on Aizen’s part, making the bland white and bare decor resemble so much of a hospital room, letting the air linger with the premonition of death. 

Ulquiorra Cifer was the last person you would ever expect to find comfort in in this desolate landscape. 

He didn’t particularly enjoy relaxing, or having any free time in general; as long as his energy permitted it, he kept himself busy with orders and errands alike, so how you’d ever managed to draw out such an intimate relationship with him was beyond your comprehension. There were no tender emotions, or soft words, but for Ulquiorra, any touch that didn’t come with the intent to kill was as vulnerable as he could get. He indulged the physical pleasure, the one permittance to actually _lose_ himself in something, and you hung onto these trysts happily, because even if Ulquiorra was the most impassive arrancar in Hueco Mundo, the bland existence you’d been subjected to in your game of “follow the leader” didn’t come without your own desire for something to make you feel less numb. 

“Explain,” he eventually encouraged, laid out on his back while you curled against him indulgently, head rested against his shoulder and front pressed into his side. He usually wasn’t one to entertain your sometimes mindless pondering, but Ulquiorra thrived off what he could clearly understand, and the uncertainty in your words would eventually unsettle him if he went too long without an answer. You shifted slightly, the drag of your warm skin against his ice cold body eliciting a shiver up your spine, and tilted your head back carefully as to not disturb the remnants of your mask by accidentally butting them into his chin.

“Following a man not even of our kind, simply because he’s stronger than us,” you explained, unable to mask the tinge of sadness in your tone. For a time, Aizen’s arrival in Hueco Mundo felt something like a blessing; at the very least, you finally had a drive beyond mindless wandering of an endless desert, only fighting to survive. His gaze shifted down to you _(it was hard, sometimes, not to get lost in the emerald green after so long in a sea of white),_ watching your expression carefully. You only frowned further at the attention. “Subservience.” 

“The strong lead the weak,” he responded tersely. “It is not an unfairness. It simply, is.” He wouldn’t lie to offer you comfort; you already knew his thoughts on the matter. Still, his fingers twitched uncomfortably when your frown deepened, arm thrown noncommittally around your bare waist— not a show of affection, but of ownership. His sole fracción, dedicated in mind and body. As collected an arrancar he is, prideful in his pursuit of becoming more man than beast, the instinct to mark and claim sometimes still proved far too tempting, and he wasn’t so tame and poised to hold himself back when your legs were wrapped around his hips. He couldn’t help but keep you close when you were so exposed, bruised and bare and exhausted from his efforts. 

You were still frowning, he realized. His brow nearly twitched.

He shifted slowly, his arm winding in a tighter hold to ease you onto your back as his form settled between your thighs, dipping his head down to nip at a colorful bruise decorating your collarbone. You hissed, surprised, but in no way unappreciative; nips and bites were as close to kisses as you would get. Surprisingly, you didn’t mind. The tips of his fingers ghosted over your inner thighs, something like a threat to take your already sensitive body over the edge should you continue disturbing his peace, though punishments were supposed to be unpleasant; so you pressed on anyway. “Do you think it will ever change?”

He paused briefly, not even for a second. If you were human, you wouldn’t have noticed. It seemed you could continue to achieve what others deemed impossible; catching Ulquiorra off-guard. “In what way do you mean?” He dared ask, always curious for how you mind melded thoughts so differently than his. 

He could feel you tense under him, hesitating, and his fingered dipped between your thighs, ghosting over your abused sex, making you gasp and jerk away from him. His other hand pressed into the mattress just beside your head, staring down at you unwaveringly, waiting for his answer. “You- You, Ulquiorra,” you quickly panted out, before he deemed punishment necessary. And when his fingers didn’t pursue you again, your strained muscles slowly deflated, feeling safe again. “No one else understands the power you really possess, how unbelievably strong you are… you’ve surpassed all expectations.” He wasn’t one to usually enjoy having his ego stroked, but with your eyes shining up at him, hopeful and full of loyalty and admiration, it suddenly didn’t seem so distasteful. “Do you ever think… you’ll surpass even him?”

The idea rolled back and forth in his mind, marinating on it, though his eyes remained trained on you. 

Ruling Hueco Mundo. It’d never crossed his mind. 

His name strained past your lips, choked out pleadingly as his fingers dipped into you, free hand coming down to pin your hips down to the bed with his forearm, keeping you compliant with his ministrations despite your instinctive squirming. He only indulged your warmth for a moment, coating his fingers in both your efforts before bringing the hand up to shove the dirtied extremities onto your tongue, watching your lips immediately close around them to lick and suckle his skin. 

Just as he wanted. Perfectly obedient.

His hair draped over your face, tickling your cheeks and forehead as he leaned in, eyes turning hooded as he watched your face contort into something like anticipation, but so, so much more _desperate._

And finally, he answered. 

“I haven’t the faintest idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> is permittance even a word??
> 
> there is no ulquiorra content online and my nearly decade old 12 year old emo crush is currently beating my brain with a hammer while i'm rewatching bleach in quarantine
> 
> the fact that the arrancar are literally the best characters and after their arc they're just like :) goodbye
> 
> writing for a dead fandom gets me puuumped. leave me fic recs below because i seriously feel like i've already read everything
> 
> is this ooc? probably. please let me know if you enjoyed! thank you for reading <3


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